After a battering by, above all, Ben Stokes in Bridgetown, Barbados today, Kraigg Brathwaite’s West Indies remained unbowed. And Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks will resume the West Indian first innings in the Second Apex Test on Day Three tomorrow with one number uppermost in their minds: 308. That is the …
Read More »Crawley gets comfy on Antigua featherbed as England take three-figure lead against WI
West Indian supporters may long remember Day Three of the First Apex Test between Kraigg Brathwaite’s West Indies and Joe Root’s England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. Day Four they will want to hastily forget. It rained—H2O from the skies intermittently and runs from the …
Read More »‘We have a fighting chance!’ Bonner solidifies West Indies, as hosts take charge against England
After a 354-ball, nine-hour marathon that had yielded 123 runs at a strike rate of 34.64, Nkrumah Bonner found himself at bat with only 14 more deliveries left in the day’s play. All arms and legs, part-timer Dan Lawrence ran in and served up an off-spinner that spun down the …
Read More »Roach, Seales give West Indies quick start but Bairstow stops them in their tracks
Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales got Kraigg Brathwaite’s West Indies quickly out of the blocks on the first day of the first match of the Apex Three-Test Series. But it was the in-form who built three successive partnerships to ensure that Joe Root’s England endured to the last, recovering from …
Read More »Early Bird: Root’s record plus weak West Indies bowling put Lara’s record under threat
Sonny Ramadhin’s recent death reminded us that more than once MCC tinkered with the rules. The changes may have helped England in 1957 but they certainly haven’t really helped them do all that well in the Caribbean at any time. Their last away series win in the 20th Century came …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: Mayers and Simmons must justify WI retention; kudos to Walsh and WI Women
“[…] At stake during the series will be the continuation of several careers—those of the coaches as well as of a few of the players. “[…] In 18 innings since Kyle Mayers’ outstanding double-century (210*) in the second innings of his debut Test against Bangladesh a year ago, he has …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: What will West Indies selectors do about abysmal batting, Bravo and Roach?
“[…] Jason Holder’s miserly 65-run aggregate was, incredibly, the highest among all the West Indies batsmen [in India]. “The aggregates and associated averages of the West Indies top five batsmen were far more in sync with numbers that would be called at a Bingo game than with those that would …
Read More »Media Monitor: Unamusing musings the morning after Holder’s WI miracle the night before
Although they may not admit it, people do not like to be wrong; certainly, nobody likes to be seen to be wrong. Sometimes, however, you rejoice that you did not get it right. And you are overjoyed that you resisted the temptation to rush into print to share the view …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: Bravo for India? Roach, 33, before Seales, 20? WI selectors are taking big gambles
“[…] Kemar Roach’s ODI stats are not in any way indicative of his abilities as a consistent and reliable wicket-taker. 124 wickets captured in 92 matches played equates to less than two per match. “There is absolutely no questioning the value that Kemar Roach has provided as the West Indies …
Read More »West Indies recall Roach for India ODI series; King and Bonner selected but Evin misses out
Thirty-three-year-old pacer Kemar Roach was recalled to the West Indies team today, one of five changes to the One-day International (ODI) side to face India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad next month. West Indies T20 International opening batsman Brandon King, 27, was also selected along with 33-year-old Nkrumah …
Read More »McWatt and ‘Reds’: Hayley, Seales and Brathwaite shine in 2021, but results, fitness and selections stink
“[…] Since making his debut on 10 June against South Africa, 20-year-old Jayden Seales has captured 16 wickets in just four Tests, while demonstrating the pace and accuracy that are the hallmarks of all great fast bowlers. “[…] However, during 2021, the West Indies’ […] final win/loss ratio was a …
Read More »Ineffective spinners and poor strike rotation! McWatt and ‘Reds’ suggest WI changes against Sri Lanka
“[…] The inability of both Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican to be anywhere close to as effective as Sri Lanka’s spinners on the benevolent Galle Stadium pitch should now establish once and for all their inadequacy as Test match bowlers. “The same pitch on which they toiled so ineffectively to …
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